Treating wood for interiors



Oil-soluble dye (any .color-optionalL;

Patented Dec. 12, 1933 PATENT OFFICE TREATING WOOD FOR INTERIORS HermanC. Nielsen, Howard City, Mich., assignor to National Wood ProductsCompany, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware No Drawing.Application May 23, 1930 Serial No. 455,146

3 Claims (Cl. 9168) The present invention relates to process andcomposition for impregnating wood, which is particularly applicable inthe case of impregnating flooring, interior trim in buildings such asWainscotting, doors, wood to be used in making furniture, and the like,which is subsequently to be varnished, shellaced or lacquered.

A further object of the invention is the employment of a compositionwhich will completely impregnate the wood at relatively low temperaturessuch as to 150 F. The impregnation under these conditions will besufficiently complete in 1 to 8 hours depending upon the particular kindof wood and the size or thickness of the wood. In some cases theimpregnation will be sufliciently complete in half an hour.

The wood after being taken out of the impregnation solution, andpreferably after drying for a short period can be planed or sandpaperedif desired, and then is ready to receive any kind of a surface coatingsuch as lacquer, varnish, shellac, paint and the like. These coatingswill adhere well to the treated wood.

The wood is fully protected against wet and dry rot, against moisture,and the wood so treated will not shrink or swell or check or curl, butbecomes permanent under all of the usual conditions encountered inservice, such as changes in the temperature and moisture content of thesurrounding atmosphere, washing with water, soapy water and the like,such as are commonly used for washing up floors, and the surface finishis I as indicated in the parentheses in the table, and

in some cases even'greater variation is permissible.

Fish oil preferably menhaden) 22 parts (18 to- 26) Spirits o turpentine(preferably distilled gum turpentln 22 parts (20 to 25) Lubricatingmineral oil (preferably medium automobile oll) 22 parts (16 to 24)Mineral turpentine substitute (e. g.

oleum spirits) 22 parts (20 to 28) Oleic acid (e. g. red oil) 4parts 2to 5 2 parts 1 to 3 2parts lto 3 1 part (0.1 to 2) Calcium chloride(fine fpowder) Scentlng oil (e. g. oil 0 eitronella) It will beunderstood that in place of distilled gum turpentine, purified distilledwood turpentine can be employed, although less advantageously.

Calcium chloride is, as well known, not readily soluble in most oilymaterials. However in the .55 presence of oleic acid, and possibly inthe presence of a small amount of moisture ordinarily present in some ofthese materials, or absorbed from the atmosphere, it does dissolve. Thesolution may not be entirely homogeneous, but during .60 the treatmentthe liquid is preferably kept agitated to a considerable extent. Thetreatment can be effected in either open or closed tanks, preferably ata temperature around to F., although temperatures from 125 to can be 65used.

Mineral turpentine substitutes generally known in the art of paintmanufacture as oleum or mineral spirits, are volatile productsresembling turpentine in their properties, as described in my 7.0co-pending application, Serial No. 347,174, filed March 14, 1929. In thepresent instance, these turpentine substitutes are employed because oftheir evaporating and drying properties and because they aid in securingpenetration of other ,75 ingredients into the wood fibers.

Most kinds of fish oil, including menhaden oil' has a more or lessdisagreeable smell, which is largely or completely overcome by the smallamount of a scenting material such as oil of citronella. Oil ofSassafras, oil of cedar or certain other scenting agents can beemployed.

The oil-soluble dye can be used or not as desired. 'Various colors suchas blue, red, green, brown, yellow, black, purple, and mixtures of (35colors can be employed, to give any desired color to the wood. It isnoted that the impregnating composition goes completely through thewood, as illustrated by a drawing of treated blocks or pieces of thetreated wood.

The wood may be treated in the form of boards, blocks or the'like, andvery satisfactory results have been secured in treating pieces which arefrom threeequarters of an inch up to about two inches in thickness(smallest dimension). Pieces .95 so treated, when subsequently sawedthrough the center show the impregnating material to be carried clear tothe center of the wood, and the color will persist as long as any of thewood remains, as distinguished from any surface -100 staining, whichstains merely the surface or very slightly below the surface.

It is found that impregnation of the wood with the above mentionedmixture hardens the wood making the same 20 to harder than the untreatedwood. The wood is not only waterproofed, but is to some extentfireprooied by the treatment, as shown by the fact that the treated woodis less readily inflammable than the untreated.

I regard it as surprising that clear transparent coatings such aslacquer (nitrocellulose base), shellac and varnish will adhere readilyand firmly to the treated wood, without showing any signs of separationor peeling.

Other materials can be added if desired, for example gloss oil,orthodichlorbenzene, manganese drying oil, made by cooking or drying oilsuch as linseed oil with manganese dioxide, or other oxidizing agent, asdescribed in my copending application 347,174, now Patent No. 1,886,716,Nov. 8, 1932. Small amounts of gums, rosins, and the like can also beadded to the composition if desired. I t

It is also important to note that after impregnation with the saidcomposition, there is no bleeding of the composition during changes intemperature.

Iclaim:'--- H t 1 1. A process of treating wood for interiors ofbuildings, which comprises impregnating same with a mixture including--Parts Fish oil about 22 Turpentine about 22 Mineral lubricating oilabout 22 Mineral turpentine substitute about 22 Oleic acid about 4Calcium chloride about 2 Scenting material r, about 2 HERMAN c. NIELSEN.

